Federal Governmenthttp://stopthedrugwar.org/taxonomy/term/46
enChronicle AM: High Drama in Ohio, Congressmen Seek DOJ Investigation Into MedMJ Harassment, More (7/31/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/31/chronicle_am_high_drama_ohio_con
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<p>It&#39;s the dog days of summer, and it looks like not much is going on except marijuana-related issues. Will ResponsibleOhio make the ballot, will the Justice Department ease up on medical marijuana where it&#39;s legal? Stay tuned.</p><p><strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<a href="http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_28564680/blossoming-denver-based-marijuana-credit-union-denied-by" target="_blank">Federal Reserve Blocks Marijuana Credit Union</a>. The Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City has denied an application for a &quot;master account&quot; from a Denver-based credit union created to serve the legal marijuana industry. The credit union is chartered in Colorado, but can&#39;t open its doors without the &quot;master account.&quot; If the Fed had approved the account, it could have led to banking access for the state&#39;s marijuana industry. In response to the denial, the Fourth Corner Credit Union has now filed a lawsuit against the Fed and the National Credit Union Administration.</p><p><a href="http://www.thecannabist.co/2015/07/30/responsibleohio-marijuana-legalization-petition-signature-deadline/38720/" target="_blank">ResponsibleOhio Hands in Another 96,000 Signatures; Only 29,000 Valid Ones Needed</a>. Late today, the controversial <a href="http://www.responsibleohio.org/" target="_blank">ResponsibleOhio</a> monopoly marijuana legalization initiative campaign handed in 96,000 signatures to state officials in a bid to overcome a signature shortfall after the state threw out more than half of the nearly 700,000 signatures the group originally handed in. The deadline for handing in signatures is 11:59pm tonight. The group needs 305,000 valid voter signatures to qualify for the November 2015 ballot. According to state officials, it had about 275,000 valid ones before this latest and last batch was handed in.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><a href="https://reason.com/blog/2015/07/31/congressmen-ask-doj-inspector-general-to" target="_blank">Congressmen Want DOJ Inspector General to Look Into Harassment of Medical Marijuana Providers in Wake of Vote Barring Same</a>. Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Sam Farr (D-CA) Thursday sent a <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/view/1j6v0xi6y1d9jow/Rohrbacher-Farr-letter.pdf" target="_blank_">letter</a> to Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz asking him to clarify whether continued prosecutions against medical marijuana providers in states where it is legal violate a successful <a href="http://reason.com/blog/2014/12/15/will-the-rohrabacher-amendment-actually" target="_blank_">budget rider</a> that prevents the department from spending money to interfere in those states. &quot;Cases such as the Kettle Falls Five case in Washington, asset forfeiture actions against dispensaries in the San Francisco Bay area, or the <em>Lynch</em> case now pending in the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, are all instances of DOJ expending dollars it does not have the legal authority to spend,&quot; Rohrabacher and Farr write. &quot;Consequently, we believe there is sufficient cause for your office to investigate potential violations of the Anti-Deficiency Act by the Department with regard to its prosecution and other enforcement actions against persons and businesses conducting legitimate medical marijuana activities under state law.&quot; That act makes it a crime to use federal funds for purposes not approved by Congress.</p><p><a href="http://www.mynews4.com/news/local/story/Nevadas-first-medical-marijuana-dispensary-to-open/qfBbbQFI80alQuw2EYKrew.cspx" target="_blank">Nevada&#39;s First Dispensary Opens Today</a>. Silver State Relief was set to open its doors today in the Reno suburb of Sparks. It&#39;s the first to open in the state, and one of two approved by city fathers.</p><p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/01/nyregion/new-york-state-awards-5-medical-marijuana-licenses.html" target="_blank">New York Awards Five Medical Marijuana Licenses</a>. The Department of Health today announced the names of five groups that will be allowed to sell medical marijuana in the state. Each group can open up to four dispensaries across the state. They are required to be open for business within six months, meaning patients may be able to buy it before year&#39;s end. Click on the link to see who the groups are.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/31/chronicle_am_high_drama_ohio_con#comments2016CongressMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana IndustryMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefState & Local Executive BranchesFri, 31 Jul 2015 20:55:18 +0000psmith31578 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgMedical Marijuana Updatehttp://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/27/medical_mj_update
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<p>There&#39;s a CDC warning on &quot;potential danger&quot; from edibles, a Northern California US attorney who went after dispensaries steps down, Washington state medical marijuana enters a new, uncomfortable era, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:left]<strong>National</strong></p><p>Last Friday, <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_28532964/cdc-warns-marijuana-consumption-report-citing-teens-colorado" target="_blank_">the CDC warned of &quot;potential danger&quot; from edibles</a>. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6428a6.htm?s_cid=mm6428a6_x" target="_blank_">report</a> citing the case of a Wyoming college student who fell to his death after eating edibles in Colorado to warn of the &quot;potential danger&quot; with the products. &quot;Although the decedent in this case was advised against eating multiple servings at one time,&quot; the CDC article says, &quot;he reportedly consumed all five of the remaining servings of the THC-infused cookie within 30-60 minutes after the first serving.&quot; The CDC noted that the coroner in the case listed &quot;marijuana intoxication&quot; as a contributing factor in the death, which was classified as an accident.</p><p><b>California</b></p><p>On Tuesday, <a href="http://www.times-standard.com/government-and-politics/20150728/county-marijuana-dispensary-ordinance-delayed-to-august" target="_blank">Humboldt County supervisors delayed discussions on repealing the county&#39;s ban on new dispensaries</a>. No dispensaries have been allowed to open in the county since December 2011, when supervisors enacted a moratorium on them. Prospective dispensary operators who have been waiting for more than four years will have to wait a little longer. Supervisors said they would discuss the issue at their August 18 meeting.</p><p>On Wednesday, <a href="http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_28555271/bay-area-u-s-attorney-stepping-down" target="_blank">US Attorney for Northern California Melinda Haag said she is stepping down</a>. Haag earned the antipathy of medical marijuana advocates for her crackdown on Northern California dispensaries, which she accused of being fronts for illegal dealers. Advocates harshly criticized her for attempting to shut down the Harborside dispensary in Oakland, the nation&#39;s largest. It&#39;s still open for business as the legal wrangle continues.</p><p><b>Michigan</b></p><p>Last Friday, <a href="http://michiganradio.org/post/state-supreme-court-limits-immunity-medical-marijuana-patients" target="_blank">the state Supreme Court ruled that a medical marijuana card doesn&#39;t grant sweeping immunity, but...</a> In a pair of cases regarding medical marijuana caregivers, the state&#39;s high court has ruled that the medical marijuana law does not grant sweeping immunity to cardholders, but sent the cases back to lower courts to determine whether the defendants are entitled to immunity. The court seems to be getting tired of medical marijuana. It has addressed the issue nine times in the past seven years. &quot;The many inconsistencies in the law have caused confusion for medical marijuana caregivers and patients, law enforcement, attorneys, and judges, and have consumed valuable public and private resources to interpret and apply it,&quot; wrote Justice Bryan Zahra.</p><p><b>Minnesota</b></p><p>Last Thursday, <a href="http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/first-day-of-marijuana-sales/article_cd6f7b84-d66c-55fd-823a-a8107165198e.html" target="_blank_">the second dispensary in the state opened for business</a>. The state&#39;s first medical marijuana dispensary outside of the Twin Cities, Minnesota Medical Solutions in Rochester opened its doors. A Minneapolis-area dispensary opened earlier this year.</p><p><strong>Ohio</strong></p><p>On Wednesday, <a href="http://www.19actionnews.com/story/29661214/dewine-rejects-another-petition-to-legalize-marijuana" target="_blank"> the attorney general rejected the wording of a medical marijuana petition</a>. Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today that he had rejected a petition for the <a href="http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/getattachment/a062f88e-3263-494f-8a3b-8ede7d895013/Ohio-Medical-Cannabis-Amendment-%281%29.aspx" target="_blank">Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment</a>, saying he had found several defects in the language. Now, the group will have to address those defects, gather another 1,000 initial signatures, and try again.</p><p><strong>Washington</strong></p><p>Last Friday, <a href="http://www.columbian.com/news/2015/jul/23/medical-marijuana-changes-database" target="_blank_">changes to the state&#39;s medical marijuana program went into effect</a>. Recently passed legislation designed to bring the program in line with the state&#39;s legalization system are now active. The Liquor Control Board is now the Liquor and Cannabis Control Board, PTSD and traumatic brain injury are now considered qualifying conditions, a voluntary patient database (which patients must join if they want the tax breaks for medical marijuana) is now in effect, the number of plants in a household is limited to 15 no matter how many patients live there, and doctors who write more than one medical marijuana authorization a day must report their totals to the Department of Health.</p><p>Also last Friday, <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jul/25/member-of-kettle-falls-five-sentenced-to-16" target="_blank">a member of the Kettle Falls Five got 16 months in federal prison</a>. They grew medical marijuana in a state where it is legal -- heck, even recreational is legal in Washington -- but were prosecuted by zealous federal prosecutors operating out of Spokane. Now, after pleading guilty and testifying for the federal government against fellow members of the five, Jason Lee Zucker has been rewarded with 16 months in federal prison. Assistant US Attorney Caitlin Baunsgard said last Friday Zucker&#39;s testimony was &quot;integral&quot; to obtaining convictions against his co-defendants and urged the lighter sentence. He could have been sent to federal prison for five years. Three of the other Kettle Falls Five face sentencing in October after being found guilty and are looking at up to 20 years. The fifth member, family patriarch Larry Harvey, saw charges against him dropped after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.</p><p>On Tuesday, <a href="http://q13fox.com/2015/07/28/authorities-threaten-lawsuits-against-illegal-pot-shops" target="_blank_">King County said it will force unlicensed dispensaries to close</a>. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said that dispensaries operating illegally in unincorporated areas of the county will have to shut down soon. He said that he would be serving up lawsuits against 15 collectives in coming days. &quot;Their days as marijuana sellers where they never had a license, and they never paid taxes, those days are over,&quot; he said. He added that the businesses had a couple of months to shut down before he goes after them in court.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-israelis-to-be-allowed-cannabis-by-prescription-1001055995" target="_blank">Israel to Make Medical Marijuana Available By Prescription, Will Be Sold in Pharmacies</a>. Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman said Monday that medical marijuana will be available in pharmacies and more doctors will be allowed to prescribe it. &quot;There are already pharmacies that dispense all sorts of other drugs, such as morphine. There is order with that, and there will be order with this,&quot; Litzman said. &quot;There will be registration, and we&#39;ll supervise it, but it will be according to a standard, like a drug. Right now, we&#39;re in a case at the High Court of Justice because of the growers, and we&#39;ll issue a tender for the growers. I hope we get approval from the High Court of Justice. We&#39;ll fight aggressively to allow this to get out,&quot; Litzman emphasized. &quot;The growers will also be stronger. As soon as there is a tender, it shifts to selling a drug by prescription, and I&#39;m sure it will be accepted. We have a lot more work and much more to do, but this is my headline.&quot;</p><p><em>[For extensive information about the medical marijuana debate, presented in a neutral format, visit <a href="http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/" target="_blank">MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org</a>.]</em></p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/27/medical_mj_update#commentsExecutive BranchMarijuana IndustryMedical MarijuanaNews BriefState & Local Executive BranchesWed, 29 Jul 2015 22:34:48 +0000psmith31570 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Chris Christie Picks Fight With Weed, New DEA Head Concedes Pot Might Not Be as Bad as Heroin, More (7/29/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/29/chronicle_am_chris_christie_pick
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<p>Chris Christie is beating up on marijuana again, Ohio officials continue to play hardball with ResponsibleOhio, DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg takes a tiny step forward, Colombian peasants are grumbling at a rumored renewal of aerial crop eradication, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://gawker.com/chris-christie-on-drug-policy-smoke-em-while-you-got-e-1720726359" target="_blank">Chris Christie Vows to Roll Back Legalization in the States if Elected</a>. New Jersey governor and Republican presidential contender Chris Christie said Tuesday marijuana users in legal states should enjoy their highs while they have the chance because if he&#39;s elected, he will enforce federal prohibition. &quot;If you&#39;re getting high in Colorado today, enjoy it,&quot; said Christie at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire. &quot;As of January 2017, I will enforce the federal laws. If you want to change the marijuana laws, go ahead and change the national marijuana laws,&quot; he added. Christie is currently struggling to break out of the bottom of a crowded field of GOP contenders.</p><p><a href="http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2015/07/special_investigator_named_to_review_responsibleohios_marijuana_legalization_petitions_for_possible_fraud.html" target="_blank">Ohio Secretary of State to Investigate Legalization Petitions for Possible Fraud</a>. Secretary of State Jon Husted said today he had named a special investigator to look into &quot;discrepancies&quot; in petitions from the controversial legalization group <a href="http://www.responsibleohio.org/" target="_blank">ResponsibleOhio</a>. He said the review would look into &quot;significant disparities&quot; between the number of petitions the group claimed to have gathered and the number actually turned in. If the discrepancies constitute fraud, they could lead to criminal charges, he said. ResponsibleOhio, on the other hand, has accused state election officials of losing some 40,000 signatures and wrongfully invalidating others and is threatening to go to the state Supreme Court over the issue. The group had handed in nearly 700,000 signatures and needed only 305,000 valid ones to qualify for the 2015 ballot, but state officials last week said they were about 30,000 short. ResponsibleOhio has until midnight tomorrow to try to make up for the signature shortfall.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.19actionnews.com/story/29661214/dewine-rejects-another-petition-to-legalize-marijuana" target="_blank">Ohio Attorney General Rejects Medical Marijuana Petition Wording</a>. Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today that he had rejected a petition for the <a href="http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/getattachment/a062f88e-3263-494f-8a3b-8ede7d895013/Ohio-Medical-Cannabis-Amendment-%281%29.aspx" target="_blank">Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment</a>, saying he had found several defects in the language. Now, the group will have to address those defects, gather another 1,000 initial signatures, and try again.</p><p><a href="http://q13fox.com/2015/07/28/authorities-threaten-lawsuits-against-illegal-pot-shops" target="_blank_">Washington&#39;s King County Will Force Unlicensed Dispensaries to Close</a>. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said Tuesday that dispensaries operating illegally in unincorporated areas of the county will have to shut down soon. He said that he would be serving up lawsuits against 15 collectives in coming days. &quot;Their days as marijuana sellers where they never had a license, and they never paid taxes, those days are over,&quot; he said. He added that the businesses had a couple of months to shut down before he goes after them in court.</p><p><strong>Drug Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/07/28/new-dea-leader-pot-probably-not-as-bad-as-heroin" target="_blank">New DEA Head Concedes Marijuana Might Not Be As Dangerous as Heroin</a>. DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg Tuesday conceded during a conference call that heroin is probably more dangerous than marijuana, but that he was no expert. &quot;If you want me to say that marijuana&#39;s not dangerous, I&#39;m not going to say that because I think it is,&quot; Rosenberg said. &quot;Do I think it&#39;s as dangerous as heroin? Probably not. I&#39;m not an expert.&quot; Coming from anyone other than a DEA head, the statement would be considered mealy-mouthed, but it actually marks a break with Rosenberg&#39;s hardline predecessor, Michele Leonhart, whose refusal to make the distinction helped contribute to her being forced from the position.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/drugs-meeting-finds-wide-consensus-on-decriminalisation-1.2301157" target="_blank">Irish Officials Say They Have a &quot;Wide Consensus&quot; for Drug Decriminalization</a>. After a &quot;think tank&quot; on drug problems in Dublin today, Minister of State of the National Drugs Strategy Aodhan O&#39;Riordain said there was a &quot;wide consensus within the room for decriminalization,&quot; but there were also &quot;some question marks and some discussion points as to how to get wider society on board with the idea. People in the sector may be convinced, but the terminology and the language is going to be important.&quot;</p><p><a href="http://colombiareports.com/unrest-in-colombia-over-possible-resumption-of-aerial-spraying-of-coca/" target="_blank">Colombia Coca Farmers Threaten Protests Over Reports Government Might Resume Aerial Spraying</a>. Amid rumors that authorities plan to restart efforts to eradicate coca crops by spraying them with glyphosate, farmers in the north are vowing to fight such plans. &quot;The moment they begin the fumigation, the peasant strike will begin,&quot; said a spokesman for the Campesino Association of Catatumbo. With US backing and encouragement, the Colombian government sprayed the herbicide on coca crops for years despite peasant protests that it was causing illness and damaging other crops and livestock. Earlier this year, the government halted the practice after the World Health Organization declared glyphosate a carcinogen. Nearly 2,500 police are being sent to the region in anticipation of protests, even though the interior minister denied any plans to begin spraying anew, saying it was only under discussion.</p><p><em>(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org&#39;s lobbying arm, Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)</em></p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/29/chronicle_am_chris_christie_pick#comments2016Candidates/RacesCocaDEADecriminalizationHeroinMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana IndustryMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefState & Local Executive BranchesWed, 29 Jul 2015 20:53:53 +0000psmith31574 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: OR Gov Signs Marijuana Sales Bill, More British Cops Turning Blind Eye to Marijuana, More (7/28/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/28/or_gov_signs_mj_sales_bill
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<p>Any adult will be able to buy marijuana at Oregon dispensaries beginning October 1, some British police are moving toward de facto decriminalization, dirty Philly cops beat a corruption rap and are now suing city officials, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2015R1/Measures/Overview/SB460?pubDate15-07-28-10-20" target="_blank">Oregon Governor Signs Bill Allowing Recreational Marijuana Sales to Begin October 1</a>. Gov. Kate Brown (D) has signed into law <a href="https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2015R1/Measures/Overview/SB460?pubDate15-07-28-10-20" target="_blank">Senate Bill 460</a>, which will allow medical marijuana dispensaries to begin selling marijuana to <em>all</em> adults on October 1. Pot shops other than existing dispensaries won&#39;t come on line until next year.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><a href="http://michiganradio.org/post/state-supreme-court-limits-immunity-medical-marijuana-patients" target="_blank">Michigan Supreme Court Says Medical Marijuana Card Doesn&#39;t Grant Sweeping Immunity, But&hellip;</a> In a pair of cases regarding medical marijuana caregivers, the state&#39;s high court has ruled that the medical marijuana law does not grant sweeping immunity to cardholders, but sent the cases back to lower courts to determine whether the defendants are entitled to immunity. The court seems to be getting tired of medical marijuana. It has addressed the issue nine times in the past seven years. &quot;The many inconsistencies in the law have caused confusion for medical marijuana caregivers and patients, law enforcement, attorneys, and judges, and have consumed valuable public and private resources to interpret and apply it,&quot; wrote Justice Bryan Zahra.</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20150728_Acquitted_narcotics_cops_sue_city_s_top_brass_for_defamation.html" target="_blank">Acquitted Philly Cops Sue City Officials for Defamation</a>. Five members of a notorious Philadelphia Police dope squad who managed to avoid federal corruption convictions and who have won the right to return to work are now suing the district attorney, the mayor, and the police commissioner. They say they were unfairly maligned and fired. After numerous reports of corrupt activities, DA Seth Williams began refusing their cases in 2012 and that &quot;started a gigantic, destructive avalanche of severe and permanent wrongs, damages and injustices&quot; that continues to affect the officers today,&quot; their attorney wrote. They had been accused of routinely beating drug suspects, stealing money, and lying on police reports. One member of the squad pleaded guilty and testified against the others, but the jury did not convict.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/11767001/Three-more-police-forces-signal-that-they-will-turn-blind-eye-to-cannabis-use.html" target="_blank">Three More British Police Forces Will Basically Ignore Small Pot Grows</a>. Police in Derbyshire, Dorset, and Surrey are joining police in Durham in quietly turning a blind eye to small-scale marijuana cultivation and use. While the Conservative government continues to have a hard-line stance on marijuana, the cops say they have better things to do. &quot;On the list of priorities cannabis moves a long way down the chain,&quot; one police official explained.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/28/or_gov_signs_mj_sales_bill#commentsFederal CourtsMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefPolice CorruptionState & Local Executive BranchesTue, 28 Jul 2015 21:01:05 +0000psmith31572 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Reuters on West African Meth, Brit Pot Petition Goes Viral, Mexico Ibogaine Conference, More (7/27/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/27/chronicle_am_reuters_west_africa
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<p>Lot&#39;s of international news today, plus Minnesota gets a second dispensary, Vermont seeks to prohibit more new synthetics, New Hampshire is worried about heroin, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jul/25/member-of-kettle-falls-five-sentenced-to-16" target="_blank">Kettle Falls Five Member Gets 16 Months in Federal Prison</a>. They grew medical marijuana in a state where it is legal -- heck, even recreational is legal in Washington -- but were prosecuted by zealous federal prosecutors operating out of Spokane. Now, after pleading guilty and testifying for the federal government against fellow members of the five, Jason Lee Zucker has been rewarded with 16 months in federal prison. Assistant US Attorney Caitlin Baunsgard said last Friday Zucker&#39;s testimony was &quot;integral&quot; to obtaining convictions against his co-defendants and urged the lighter sentence. He could have been sent to federal prison for five years. Three of the other Kettle Falls Five face sentencing in October after being found guilty and are looking at up to 20 years. The fifth member, family patriarch Larry Harvey, saw charges against him dropped after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.</p><p><a href="http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/first-day-of-marijuana-sales/article_cd6f7b84-d66c-55fd-823a-a8107165198e.html" target="_blank">Second Minnesota Dispensary Opens for Business</a>. The state&#39;s first medical marijuana dispensary outside of the Twin Cities, Minnesota Medical Solutions in Rochester, opened last Thursday. A Minneapolis-area dispensary opened earlier this year.</p><p><strong>Ibogaine</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ibogaineconference.org/" target="_blank">Global Ibogaine Conference to Be Held in Mexico in March 2016</a>. The conference will take place in the charming hipster town of Tepoztlan, about an hour south of Mexico City, and will feature speakers including Claudio Naranjo, Stanton Peele, and Andrew Tatarsky. Click on the link for all the conference and registration information.</p><p><strong>New Synthetic Drugs</strong></p><p><a href="http://digital.vpr.net/post/legal-no-more-vermont-expanding-list-banned-synthetic-drugs" target="_blank">Vermont to Add 75 New Synthetic Drugs to Controlled Substances List</a>. State officials are set to outlaw 75 new synthetic drugs after earlier moves against synthetics resulted in new ones being produced. &quot;The people who design and create what people think of designer drugs are very creative chemists,&quot; said State Toxicologist Sarah Vose. &quot;And they can change molecules very easily to avoid being regulated,&quot; Vose said. &quot;So the updates to this list are an attempt to keep ahead of that trend in designer-drug creation.&quot; The new list of regulated compounds includes stimulants, depressants and hallucinogens. Among the soon-to-be-illegal compounds is acetyl-fentanyl, a derivative of a powerful opiate. The Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules will convene a hearing on the regulated drug rule proposal next week.</p><p><strong>Drug Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.concordmonitor.com/news/17889924-95/new-poll-finds-nh-residents-more-concerned-about-heroin-problem-than-ever-before" target="_blank">Poll Finds Drug Abuse Second Most Pressing Problem in New Hampshire</a>. Concerns about drug abuse were second only to concerns about the economy for New Hampshire residents surveyed in a WMUR Granite State Poll released last Thursday. Some 25% of respondents said the economy was the main concern, while 14% said drug abuse. Pollster Andy Smith said it was the most concern he&#39;s heard about drugs in the 15 years he&#39;s conducted the survey. But respondents were divided on what to do about it, with 42% saying the government should spend more to address heroin use, 20% saying the government is spending enough, and 38% saying they didn&#39;t know enough to respond.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/24/us-africa-drugs-meth-special-report-idUSKCN0PY0WS20150724" target="_blank">Reuters Does In-Depth Report on Meth in West Africa</a>. The press agency has produced a fairly comprehensive look at the rise of meth, meth trafficking, and meth production in the region. Click on the link to read the whole thing.</p><p><a href="http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-israelis-to-be-allowed-cannabis-by-prescription-1001055995" target="_blank">Israel to Make Medical Marijuana Available By Prescription, Will Be Sold in Pharmacies</a>. Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman said Monday that medical marijuana will be available in pharmacies and more doctors will be allowed to prescribe it. &quot;There are already pharmacies that dispense all sorts of other drugs, such as morphine. There is order with that, and there will be order with this,&quot; Litzman said. &quot;There will be registration, and we&#39;ll supervise it, but it will be according to a standard, like a drug. Right now, we&#39;re in a case at the High Court of Justice because of the growers, and we&#39;ll issue a tender for the growers. I hope we get approval from the High Court of Justice. We&#39;ll fight aggressively to allow this to get out,&quot; Litzman emphasized. &quot;The growers will also be stronger. As soon as there is a tender, it shifts to selling a drug by prescription, and I&#39;m sure it will be accepted. We have a lot more work and much more to do, but this is my headline.&quot;</p><p><a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/marijuana-legalization-italy-250-italian-lawmakers-support-cannabis-decriminalization-2024645" target="_blank">More Than One Quarter of Italian Parliamentarians Support Marijuana Legalization Proposal</a>. Some 250 of Italy&#39;s 945 members of parliament have endorsed a bill that would legalize marijuana. The proposal would allow anyone 18 or older to grow up to five plants at home or to join a &quot;cannabis social club&quot; with a joint garden of up to 50 people and 250 plants. Marijuana produced by home gardeners or social clubs could not be sold, but marijuana stores would make pot available at retail, with people allowed to possess up to 15 grams at home and to carry up to five grams with them. The proposal has support across Italy&#39;s political spectrum, but it remains to be seen if it can pass.</p><p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jul/25/cannabis-legalisation-petition-government-website" target="_blank">Online Petition Calling for Marijuana Legalization Will Force UK Parliament to Respond</a>. More than 150,000 Britons have signed a government-authorized online petition calling for the total legalization of marijuana. Like the change.gov petition process in the US, policymakers must respond if a certain signature level -- in this case, 100,000 -- is reached. The signatures have come in just five days. The petition now goes to the House of Commons petition committee, which has the power to press for action from the government or the parliament -- or not. But at least the petition committee will have to formally address it.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/27/chronicle_am_reuters_west_africa#commentsFederal CourtsIbogaineMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaMethamphetamineNew Synthetic DrugsNews BriefPollingPopularization of Worse DrugsPublic OpinionState & Local Executive BranchesMon, 27 Jul 2015 21:45:12 +0000psmith31571 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: ResponsibleOhio Fights On, GA Cop Indicted in Baby Boo-Boo SWAT Raid, More (7/23/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/23/chronicle_am_responsibleohio_fig
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<p>ResponsibleOhio has about a week to come up with 40,000 more signatures, more Americans than ever admit smoking pot, e-sports is about to begin drug testing, a Georgia cop gets indicted for lying about probable cause in the Baby Boo Boo SWAT raid case, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://wcbe.org/post/legalization-backers-say-petition-signatures-should-count" target="_blank">Ohio Legalization Initiative Still Fighting to Get on Ballot</a>. The <a href="http://www.responsibleohio.org/" target="_blank">ResponsibleOhio</a> legalization initiative campaign, which state officials say came up 35,000 signatures short in its effort to get its measure on the November ballot, says it is sure it had enough valid signatures and will go to the state Supreme Court to contest the results. &quot;There are over 21,000 voters who were incorrectly identified as invalid. We want to make sure they have their signatures count. We also see that there are 40,000 signatures that weren&#39;t reviewed,&quot; spokesman Ian James said. The group is also gathering more signatures -- it has a 10-day window to try to make up any shortfall.</p><p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/marijuana-poll_55b010c6e4b07af29d577562" target="_blank">Gallup Poll Finds Largest Number Yet of Americans Admitting to Having Smoked Weed</a>. Some 44% of Americans admit to having smoked marijuana, the largest number ever record by the pollsters. When Gallup first asked the question back in 1969, only 4% admitted to having tried it. By 1985, the figure was at 33%. Gallup wasn&#39;t sure if the rising numbers reflected more people actually using marijuana or more people being comfortable admitting to it. &quot;The changes over time may reflect either an increase in the percentage who have tried the drug, or an increased willingness to admit to having done so in the past,&quot; Gallup explained.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/2015/07/senate-appropriations-committee-allows-marijuana-legalization-move-forward-nations-capi" target="_blank">Senate Appropriations Committee Approves DC Pot Shops, Marijuana Banking Bill</a>. The committee today approved a bill today allowing the nation&#39;s capital to establish regulated marijuana stores and let banks provide financial services to state-legalized marijuana dispensaries. The votes came on the financial services spending bill, which includes language removing a federal ban on regulated marijuana commerce in the District, which legalized possession and cultivation last year. The committee also approved an amendment allowing banks to provide services to marijuana businesses where they are legal.</p><p><a href="http://www.mpp.org/nhreport/" target="_blank">Marijuana Policy Project Report Criticizes New Hampshire Medical Marijuana Program</a>. In a report marking the two year anniversary of the signing into law of the state&#39;s medical marijuana program, the activist group is harshly critical of the state&#39;s failures in implementing the law. The report title pretty much says it all: <i><a href="http://www.mpp.org/nhreport/" target="_blank">Confusion, Delays, and Continued Arrests: A Two-Year Retrospective on New Hampshire&#39;s &quot;Therapeutic Use of Cannabis&quot; Law</a></i>. Click either link to read the report.</p><p><strong>Asset Forfeiture</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-civil-asset-forfeiture-laws-unconstitutional-says-aclu-lawsuit-7505975" target="_blank">Arizona ACLU Files Lawsuit Claiming State&#39;s Asset Forfeiture Laws Are Unconstitutional</a>. The ACLU of Arizona today filed a federal lawsuit in Phoenix arguing that the laws &quot;have created a lucrative system in which police and prosecutors are heavily incentivized to seize and forfeit property.&quot; The group says the law allows &quot;law enforcement [agencies to] supplement their budgets without any legislative oversight.&quot; The ACLU is representing a Sun Tan Valley woman whose pick-up truck was seized after her son borrowed it and was arrested for allegedly stealing a hood ornament and putting it on the truck.</p><p><strong>Drug Testing</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/23/9021497/e-sports-performance-enhancing-drugs-test" target="_blank">Drug Testing Comes to E-Sports</a>. The Electronic Sports League, the largest online gaming organization, has announced that it will adopt policies to keep drugs out of virtual sports. The move comes in the wake of ongoing controversy about the use of Adderall by e-sports players. A high-ranked e-sports player, Kory Friesen, ignited the commotion by not only admitting to use of the drug, but claiming it was prevalent. &quot;We were all on Adderall,&quot; he said in a widely-copied interview.</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/29606775/habersham" target="_blank">Georgia Cop Indicted Over Baby Boo-Boo SWAT Raid</a>. A Habersham County sheriff&#39;s deputy has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the May 2014 raid that left a toddler severely injured by a flash-bang grenade. Nikki Autry, a special agent of the Mountain Judicial Circuit Criminal Investigation and Suppression Team (NCIS), has been indicted for lying in a search warrant affidavit and providing the same false information to obtain an arrest warrant in the case. Autry is accused of claiming that one of his informants made a meth buy at the address when the alleged meth purchase was made by someone else and lying about whether it was a &quot;true and honorable informant.&quot; Nor had Autry confirmed there was heavy traffic in and out of the house, as he claimed. His alleged lies were the basis for a judge signing off on the &quot;no knock&quot; warrant that resulted in the bad raid.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.thelocal.se/20150722/cops-raid-record-numbers-of-swedish-drugs-farms" target="_blank">Marijuana Cultivation on the Upsurge in Sweden</a>. Swedish media are reporting an increasing number of marijuana cultivation busts. There were 904 pot farms reported to police last year, up fourfold from 2011, and police said they were on track for similar numbers this year.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/23/chronicle_am_responsibleohio_fig#comments2016Asset ForfeitureCongressDrug TestingMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefPolice RaidsPollingSWAT/ParamilitarizationThu, 23 Jul 2015 21:47:53 +0000psmith31568 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: CA Blue Ribbon Marijuana Report is Out, DEA Criticized for Blocking Snitch Probe, More (7/22/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/22/chronicle_am_ca_blue_ribbon_mari
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<p>A long-awaited (and overdue) report on California marijuana policy reforms is out, an Arizona appeals court rules that the odor of marijuana in a medical marijuana state is not sufficient grounds for a search warrant, the DEA gets criticized over its snitch program, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:right]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.startribune.com/report-pot-legalization-in-california-presents-trade-offs/318088631/" target="_blank">California Blue Ribbon Panel on Marijuana Releases Report, Calls for Strict Controls</a>. The panel, led by pro-legalization Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), issued its <em><a href="https://www.safeandsmartpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/BRCPathwaysReport.pdf" target="_blank">Pathways Report: Policy Options for Regulating Marijuana in California</a></em> today, and called for a regulatory system that prevents childhood use and warns that &quot;this industry should not be the next California Gold Rush.&quot; The 93-report is a comprehensive look at the range of policy options facing the state. Read it.</p><p><strong>Heroin and Prescription Opiates</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.nh1.com/news/full-list-22-recommendations-from-nh-s-drug-czar-regarding-heroin-epidemic/" target="_blank">New Hampshire &quot;Drug Czar&quot; Releases Recommendations for Fighting Opiate Abuse</a>. John Wozmak, senior director for Substance Misuse and Behavioral Health, Tuesday released a list of 22 recommendations for fighting opiate abuse, including making naloxone more widely available and strengthening the state&#39;s prescription drug monitoring program. Click on the link to see the full list.</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p><a href="http://tucson.com/news/local/court-marijuana-smell-not-enough-for-search-warrant/article_37878d7f-2eb7-51e3-9127-432f1ec9ec23.html" target="_blank">Arizona Appeals Court Rules Smell of Weed Alone is Not Grounds for Search Warrant</a>. The legalization of medical marijuana in the state means that the odor of weed by itself is not probable cause for obtaining a search warrant. &quot;Medical marijuana use pursuant to AMMA is lawful under Arizona law,&quot; he wrote. &quot;Therefore its scent alone does not disclose whether a crime has occurred.&quot; Instead, police must now rely on an &quot;odor-plus&quot; standard where additional evidence is needed to justify a warrant.</p><p><a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/report-dea-wrote-own-rules-for-drug-informants/article/2568733" target="_blank">Justice Department Inspector Report Criticizes DEA on Informants</a>. DEA agents wrote their own rules for a secret snitch program and then tried to block the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) from conducting its probe into the program, the just released <a href="https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2015/a1528.pdf" target="_blank">OIG report</a> says. &quot;Our audit work thus far has been seriously delayed by numerous instances of uncooperativeness from the DEA,&quot; the inspector general wrote. Although the OIG set out to review the confidential informant program in February 2014, the OIG has had only &quot;limited&quot; success, it said. But the OIG&#39;s audit isn&#39;t yet completed. Stay tuned.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/22/chronicle_am_ca_blue_ribbon_mari#commentsDEAExecutive BranchInformantsMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationNews BriefOverdose PreventionOverdosesSearch and SeizureState & Local Executive BranchesWed, 22 Jul 2015 21:57:30 +0000psmith31564 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: The Case of the Dead ND Student Snitch, Brit Police Force De Facto Decriminalizes, More (7/21/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/21/chronicle_am_case_dead_nd_studen
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<p>There will be an open container law for weed in Washington state, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) files a bill to expunge some federal marijuana offense records, cops in one British county effectively decriminalize small-time marijuana offenses, there&#39;s a mystery surrounding a dead North Dakota student informant, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.westword.com/news/inside-bill-to-expunge-some-federal-marijuana-crimes-6937656" target="_blank">Congressman Introduces Federal Clean Slate for Marijuana Offenses Act</a>. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) today introduced a bill designed to expunge federal marijuana offenses that are no longer illegal in a number of states. The Clean Slate for Marijuana Offenses Act of 2015 would clear the records of those federally charged with state-legal marijuana activity and those federally charged with possession of less than an ounce. It&#39;s not yet up on the congressional web site. Activists said its effects would be mainly symbolic.</p><p><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/07/20/national-group-outraises-locals-marijuana-legalization-bid/FD2n8FPUQ8LCTjIGR9CmcK/story.html" target="_blank">Marijuana Legalization Money Being Raised in Maine</a>. There are two competing legalization campaigns in the state, and both are fundraising. The Marijuana Policy Project-affiliated <a href="https://www.regulatemaine.org/" target="_blank">Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol</a> has raised $104,166 so far this year, with $50,000 coming from MPP in June, while <a href="http://legalizemaine.net/" target="_blank">Legalize Maine</a> has raised $55,575.</p><a href="http://www.newsweek.com/washington-passes-open-container-law-marijuana-355837" target="_blank">Washington State Has Open Container Law for Marijuana</a>. Effective September 26, drivers will be required to store their weed in the trunks of their vehicles in an unopened container, or in a part of the passenger compartment &quot;not normally occupied or directly accessible by&quot; the driver or passengers. That&#39;s a provision of <a href="http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2015-16/Pdf/Bills/House%20Passed%20Legislature/1276-S2.PL.pdf" target="_blank">House Bill 1276</a>, which Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed into law on June 30.&nbsp;<strong>Medical Marijuana</strong>&nbsp;<p><a href="http://www.wzzm13.com/story/news/local/2015/07/20/state-panel-to-decide-whether-to-recommend-pot-for-autism/30412595/" target="_blank">Michigan Panel Defers Decision on Medical Marijuana for Autism</a>. The Michigan Medical Marijuana Review Panel postponed action on recommending whether or not autism should be a qualifying condition for medical marijuana. The panel said it wanted more time to review the evidence.</p><p><strong>Sentencing</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.allgov.com/news/controversies/despite-the-fact-that-less-than-1-of-federal-drug-cases-were-accompanied-by-violence-frantic-prosecutors-demand-retention-of-mandatory-minimum-prison-terms-150721?news=857010" target="_blank">Federal Prosecutors Really Want Their Mandatory Minimums</a>. Although only a tiny fraction of federal drug crimes involve violence, federal prosecutors are demanding that their mandatory minimum sentences be left unchanged. National Association of Assistant US Attorneys head Steve Cook warns that it would be &quot;a huge mistake&quot; to change federal sentencing laws. &quot;The federal criminal justice system is not broken,&quot; he added, claiming that &quot;drug trafficking is inherently violent.&quot; Oddly enough, only 142 of more than 20,000 federal drug offenses prosecuted last year involved violence or threats of violence. Cook also wants more prisons, calling them &quot;a good investment.&quot;</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/crime/3800745-north-dakota-students-death-raises-questions-about-campus-drug-informants" target="_blank">Did a North Dakota Student Get Killed After Campus Cops Turned Him Into a Snitch?</a> The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has a lengthy piece on the case of Andew Sadek, who went missing two weeks before graduation last year. His body was later found in the Red River with a bullet wound to the head and a backpack full of rocks. He had been busted for small-time marijuana sales on campus and agreed to become an informant for campus police. No one has been charged in his death, and police aren&#39;t even certain if it was a homicide or a suicide. Read the whole thing.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/13477075.EXCLUSIVE__Small_scale_cannabis_users_and_growers_to_escape_prosecution_in_County_Durham_and_Darlington/" target="_blank">British Police Force Quits Trying to Find Small Pot Grows</a>. The police in County Durham and Darlington are giving up on proactively tracking down small marijuana grows in a de facto move toward decriminalization. Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Hogg said police there will also offer people caught with small amounts of weed to avoid criminal prosecution by entering a program aimed at ending low-level offending. &quot;By and large we are saying it is not the top of our list to go out and try to pick up people smoking joints on street corners but if it&#39;s blatant or we get complaints, officers will act,&quot; Hogg said. &quot;It&#39;s about keeping people out of the criminal justice system and reducing costs, it&#39;s about being more productive with the way we approach things. It&#39;s also about seeking to prevent future use by keeping people out of prison.&quot;</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/21/chronicle_am_case_dead_nd_studen#comments2016DecriminalizationExecutive BranchInformantsMandatory MinimumsMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefState & Local Executive BranchesTue, 21 Jul 2015 21:29:34 +0000psmith31563 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgSanta Muerte Goes to Court: The Curious Case of the Narco Saint's Prayer [FEATURE]http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/21/santa_muerte_goes_court_curious
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<p><em>special to the Chronicle by Houston-based investigative journalist Clarence Walker, <a href="mailto:cwalkerinvestigate@gmail.com?subject=Drug%20War%20Chronicle%20story">cwalkerinvestigate@gmail.com</a></em></p><p>Does praying to a &quot;<span data-scayt_word="narco" data-scaytid="121">narco</span> saint&quot; constitute evidence that someone is a drug trafficker? In an unusual case out of the <span data-scayt_word="10th" data-scaytid="122">10<sup>th</sup></span><sup> </sup>US Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, the court said &quot;no.&quot; In overturning the conviction of the woman doing the praying, the court both acted to protect First Amendment freedoms and opened a window into Santa <span data-scayt_word="Muerte" data-scaytid="123">Muerte</span>, the unofficial Saint Death venerated by hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of poor Mexicans, some of whom are members of the criminal underworld.</p><p><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">[image:1 align:right caption:true]The case,</span><em style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"><a href="http://www.federalcriminalappealsblog.com/United%20States%20v.%20Medina-Copete,%2010.pdf" target="_blank">US v. <span data-scayt_word="Medina-Copete" data-scaytid="124">Medina-Copete</span> and <span data-scayt_word="Goxcon-Chagal" data-scaytid="125">Goxcon-Chagal</span></a>, </em>unfolded<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> on June 28 2011, when New Mexico State Police Sergeant </span><span data-scayt_word="Arsenio" data-scaytid="126">Arsenio</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> Chavez pulled over a truck with Nevada plates on I-40 in Albuquerque for failing to maintain adequate distance from the vehicle ahead of it. According to court testimony, Chavez felt suspicious when he noticed the occupants appeared nervous, and the woman riding on the passenger side could be heard reciting a handwritten prayer she held in her hands.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">In the truck were Tulsa residents Rafael </span><span data-scayt_word="Goxcon-Chagal" data-scaytid="127">Goxcon-Chagal</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> and Maria </span><span data-scayt_word="Medina-Copete" data-scaytid="128">Medina-Copete</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">. Also in the truck, stashed in a secret compartment, were two pounds of 90% pure methamphetamine. The couple, who had borrowed the truck, denied any knowledge of the drugs, but they were nonetheless charged with trafficking meth. They were convicted in August 2012 for conspiracy to distribute more than 50 pounds of meth and firearms possession. They were sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">The prayer the woman was reciting was to Santa </span><span data-scayt_word="Muerte" data-scaytid="129">Muerte</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">, and the fact the she directed her </span><span data-scayt_word="adorations" data-scaytid="130">adorations</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> toward the Mexican &quot;</span><span data-scayt_word="narco" data-scaytid="131">narco</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> saint&quot; helped convict her of drug trafficking.</span></p><p><strong style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Who is Santa <span data-scayt_word="Muerte" data-scaytid="132">Muerte</span>?</strong></p><p><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">For years, religious experts and law enforcement authorities have called Santa </span><span data-scayt_word="Muerte" data-scaytid="133">Muerte</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> a &quot;</span><span data-scayt_word="narco" data-scaytid="134">narco</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> saint,&quot; worshipped by drug traffickers and who believe she has the power to protect them from their enemies -- who range from other traffickers to the police.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Santa </span><span data-scayt_word="Muerte" data-scaytid="135">Muerte</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> is typically portrayed as a skeletal woman, wearing robes or a bridal gown, and holding a scythe -- a sort of Grim Reaper figure. For the millions that venerate her, she is a figure of compassion, protection, and unconditional love who will protect her devotees from evil. She is </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank">the saint of the marginalized, as well as the criminal</a><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">For the Catholic Church, worship of Santa </span><span data-scayt_word="Muerte" data-scaytid="136">Muerte</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> is blasphemy. Still, her popularity continues to grow, and each November, thousands of worshippers gather at her main shrine, in the rough and tumble </span><span data-scayt_word="Tepito" data-scaytid="137">Tepito</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> district of Mexico City to get her blessings and bestow gifts -- both humbly modest and gaudily golden -- on her statue.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">She is estimated to have </span><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/growing-devotion-santa-muerte-u-s-abroad-n275856" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank">10 to 12 million devotees</a><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">, not just in Mexico, but, increasingly, in the US and other Latin American counties as well.</span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span data-scayt_word="Muerte" data-scaytid="138">Muerte</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">, the Skeleton Saint.&quot;</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">While it began among the </span><span data-scayt_word="lumpenproletariat" data-scaytid="139">lumpenproletariat</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> of Mexico City and has always been associated with criminals and </span><span data-scayt_word="narcos" data-scaytid="140">narcos</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">, the experts concede that Santa </span><span data-scayt_word="Muerte" data-scaytid="141">Muerte</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> is worshipped by many who are simply poor and on society&#39;s fringes.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">&quot;Santa </span><span data-scayt_word="Muerte" data-scaytid="142">Muerte</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> has been used as evidence and used as probable cause in some cases,&quot; </span><span data-scayt_word="Chesnut" data-scaytid="143">Chesnut</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> explained. &quot;But she is not just a </span><span data-scayt_word="narco-saint" data-scaytid="144">narco-saint</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">, and many of her devotees aren&#39;t involved in criminal behavior. Some drug traffickers pray to Saint Jude, a recognized Catholic Saint, but that deity is rarely brought up in criminal cases,&quot; he pointed out.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span data-scayt_word="Chesnut" data-scaytid="145">Chesnut</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> called the appeals court&#39;s ruling in the case &quot;a landmark decision,&quot; adding that it marked the first time to his knowledge &quot;that a conviction has been overturned because a folk saint was used in trial.&quot;</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><strong style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Challenging the &quot;Expert Testimony&quot;</strong></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span data-scayt_word="Goxcon-Chagal" data-scaytid="146">Goxcon-Chagal</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> </span><span data-scayt_word="andMedina-Copete" data-scaytid="147">andMedina-Copete</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> appealed their convictions, with their attorneys arguing that federal prosecutors and the district court judge had subjected them to harmful error by allowing an expert on religious iconography to testify that Santa </span><span data-scayt_word="Muerte" data-scaytid="148">Muerte</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> was so intimately connected to drug trafficking that </span><span data-scayt_word="Medina-Copete's" data-scaytid="149">Medina-Copete&#39;s</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> invocation was evidence the pair knew illegal drugs were secreted in their vehicle.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">The expert was </span><a href="http://www.usmarshals.gov/district/tx-w/general/marshal.htm" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">US Marshal Robert <span data-scayt_word="Almonte" data-scaytid="150">Almonte</span></a><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">, producer of the documentary, </span><em style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Patron Saints of the Mexican Drug Underworld</em><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">. </span><span data-scayt_word="Almonte" data-scaytid="151">Almonte</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> is also the author of two books, &quot;Evolution of Narcotic Investigation&quot; and &quot;Managing Covert Operations.&quot;</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">The appellate attorneys also argued that </span><span data-scayt_word="Almonte's" data-scaytid="152">Almonte&#39;s</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> testimony about Santa </span><span data-scayt_word="Muerte" data-scaytid="153">Muerte</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> &#39;s association with narcotics severely undermined the defendants&#39; defense that they had no knowledge of the drugs because the truck had been borrowed from one of </span><span data-scayt_word="Goxcon-Chagal's" data-scaytid="154">Goxcon-Chagal&#39;s</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> friend. They argued that the admission of </span><span data-scayt_word="Almonte's" data-scaytid="155">Almonte&#39;s</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> testimony violated federal rules of evidence.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Federal prosecutors retorted that the testimony was admissible under rules about evidence relating to &quot;tools of the trade&quot; of the drug business.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">The </span><span data-scayt_word="10th" data-scaytid="156">10<sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> Circuit disagreed. In their ruling last year, the court found that prosecutors had indeed violated the rules of evidence by using </span><span data-scayt_word="Almonte's" data-scaytid="157">Almonte&#39;s</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> testimony, which the panel likened to &quot;</span><span data-scayt_word="psychobabble" data-scaytid="159">psychobabble</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">.&quot;</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">The district court had erred in allowing the testimony because &quot;it applied our &#39;tool of the trade&#39; jurisprudence to </span><span data-scayt_word="Almonte's" data-scaytid="158">Almonte&#39;s</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> purported area of expertise without considering whether a prayer could qualify as a &#39;tool of the drug trade,&#39; &quot; wrote Judge Carlos </span><span data-scayt_word="Lucero" data-scaytid="164">Lucero</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> for the majority. He is the first Hispanic judge to sit on the circuit.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">[image:3 align:left caption:true]The lower court also erred because &#39;it allowed </span><span data-scayt_word="Almonte" data-scaytid="160">Almonte</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> to testify as an expert based on his experience without considering the relevance or breadth of that experience, thereby eliding the &#39;facts or data&#39; requirements found under [the rules of evidence], &quot; </span><span data-scayt_word="Lucero" data-scaytid="166">Lucero</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> continued.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">It was a double whammy: The prosecution did not show </span><span data-scayt_word="Almonte" data-scaytid="163">Almonte</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> knew what he was talking about, and the lower court misinterpreted the rules of evidence to allow religious beliefs to be considered tools of the drug trade.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">As a result, Judge </span><span data-scayt_word="Lucero" data-scaytid="168">Lucero</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> noted, &quot;</span><span data-scayt_word="Almonte's" data-scaytid="171">Almonte&#39;s</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> expert testimony characterizing the mere presence of the prayer as a very good indicator of possible criminal activity influenced the outcome of the trial in a prejudicial manner.&quot;</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span data-scayt_word="Lucero" data-scaytid="172">Lucero</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> didn&#39;t hold back with what he thought of </span><span data-scayt_word="Almonte's" data-scaytid="175">Almonte&#39;s</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> testimony, either.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">&quot;He essentially painted the defendants in this case as heretics, holding beliefs not recognized by the Catholic Church either in Mexico or the United States. A criminal trial is not a place for a theological disputation on sainthood and the power of prayer. We urge the government to be cautious about appearing to take sides in theological debates,&quot; he wrote.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><strong>Out of the Frying Pan</strong></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">While the </span><span data-scayt_word="10th" data-scaytid="176">10<sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> Circuit&#39;s decision reversed </span><span data-scayt_word="Goxcon-Chagel" data-scaytid="180">Goxcon-Chagel</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> and </span><span data-scayt_word="Medina-Copete's" data-scaytid="179">Medina-Copete&#39;s</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> convictions, it didn&#39;t free them. Instead they were transferred from federal prison to a federal detention center for retrial.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Things didn&#39;t look good for the pair. They had, after all, been caught with the meth, and the appeals court allowed to stand trial testimony from a DEA agent about the unlikelihood of drug traffickers sending loads of drugs with unknowing couriers.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Defense attorneys explored both the circumstances of the traffic stop and any investigations that might have preceded it, but were unable to find wriggle room there.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">&quot;Part of the problem is the standard permitting &#39;pretext stops,&#39;&quot; </span><span data-scayt_word="Goxcon-Chagel" data-scaytid="182">Goxcon-Chagel</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> attorney Katherine Converse told the Chronicle. &quot;Another problem is the difficulty of learning whether there was any </span><span data-scayt_word="NSA" data-scaytid="184">NSA</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> involvement in the stop,&quot; she added, referring to </span><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/04/07/dea-bulk-telephone-surveillance-operation/70808616/" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank">recent revelations</a><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> of </span><span data-scayt_word="NSA" data-scaytid="185">NSA</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> intelligence being fed to DEA officers and on to local law enforcement agencies to launch drug investigations against potential suspects.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">After lengthy negotiations with federal prosecutors, and without much in the way of a defense to the drug charges, Converse and </span>Media-Copete&#39;s<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> attorney advised their clients to take a plea. In February, </span>Goxcon-Chagel<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> copped to the charges and got 7 &frac12; years; </span>Medina-Cotete<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">, the praying woman, got four. Because of time already served, she&#39;s already been released.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">And she probably sent a prayer of thanks to Santa </span>Muerte<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">.</span></span></p><p><span a="" align:right="" also="" an="" and="" andrew="" another="" are="" at="" author="" but="" by="" catholic="" century="" church="" commonwealth="" considered="" culture.="" dead="" death:="" devoted="" emerging="" english="" example="" expert="" folk="" for="" from="" his="" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/santa-muerte-saint-death_n_6108198.html" http:="" image:2="" in="" is="" jesus="" largest="" late="" miracle-working="" muerte="" narcos.="" not="" now="" of="" official="" only="" patron="" poor="" popular="" professor="" religious="" said="" saint="" santa="" shrine="" span="" spirits="" studies="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;" target="_blank" the="" to="" university="" unlike="" unrecognized="" virginia="" www.santamuerte.org=""><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Here is the complete hand-written prayer to Santa </span>Muerte<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> recited by and recovered from Maria </span>Medina-Copete<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">:</span></span></p><blockquote>For protection during a trip<br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Holy Spirit of Death, I invoke your Holy Name to ask you to help me in this venture.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Make my way over the mountains valleys and paths an easy one,</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">never stop bestowing upon me your good fortune</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">weave the destiny so that bad instincts vanish before me because of your powerful protection.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Prevent, Santa </span>Muerte<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">, problems from growing and embracing my heart, my</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Lady, keep any illness from embracing my wings (Illegible)</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Glorious Santa </span>Muerte<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> be my protector and light my path. Be my</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">advocate before the redeemer. Be my truth in times of darkness</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Grant me the strength and faith to invoke your name</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">and to thank you now</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">and forever for all your favors</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Amen</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Oh miraculous Santa </span>Muerte<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">, </span>Niña<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> Blanca of my heart and right arm of god</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">our lord. Today I come to you with infinite devotion to implore you for</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">health, fortune and luck</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">Remove from my path (illegible) that hurts me, envy and misfortune; don&#39;t</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">allow my enemy&#39;s slander reach and harm my spirit</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">may no one prevent me from receiving the prosperity that I am asking of you today</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">my powerful lady bless the money that will reach my hands and multiply it</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">so that my family lacks for nothing</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">and I can outreach my hand to the needy that crosses my path</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">keep tragedy pain and shortage away from me</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">this votive candle I will light so that the radiance of your eyes forms an</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">invisible wall around me</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">grant me prudence and patience holy lady, Santa Reina de </span>las<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;"> </span>Tinieblas<br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">(&quot;Holy Queen of Darkness&quot;) strength, power and wisdom tell the elements</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">not to unleash their fury wherever they cross paths with me take care of my</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">happy surroundings and that I want to adorn decorate</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">in my Santa </span>Muerte<br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">amen</span></blockquote> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/21/santa_muerte_goes_court_curious#commentsCourt RulingsFederal CourtsNews FeatureReligionTue, 21 Jul 2015 06:35:30 +0000cwalker31562 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgInterview with "The Cartel" Author Don Winslow [FEATURE]http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/19/interview_don_winslow_the_cartel
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<p><em>This article was written in collaboration with AlterNet and first appeared <a href="http://www.alternet.org/drugs/cartel-author-don-winslow-legalize-drugs-now" target="_blank">here</a>. </em></p><p>Internationally acclaimed novelist Don Winslow&#39;s <em>The Cartel</em>, a hard-hitting and gut-wrenching tale of the Mexican drug wars, hit the stands late last month and is currently #17 on the New York Times best seller list. A sequel to his best-selling novel of the cartels, The Power of the Dog, Winslow&#39;s latest effort is a true-to-life, ripped-from-the-headlines story of power, greed, corruption, brutality, revenge, and justice set in the past decade of spiraling prohibition-related violence in Mexico.</p><p>[image:1 align:right]Roughly 100,000 people have been killed in Mexico&#39;s drug wars since 2006, and another 20,000 or so have simply vanished. That blood-drenched history is the spindle from which Winslow unspools his story, featuring a veteran DEA agent locked in a decades-long feud with the head of the world&#39;s most powerful cartel. It&#39;s a grim, nail-biting crime thriller.</p><p>But Winslow, who also authored 2012&#39;s Savages, another fictional treatment of the cartels turned into an Oliver Stone movie, isn&#39;t just writing for the sake of selling books. He has used the publication of <em>The Cartel</em> to pen <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/28/opinions/winslow-drug-war-folly/" target="_blank_">op-eds calling the war on drugs a counterproductive failure</a> and <a href="http://www.drugwarrant.com/2015/06/don-winslow-writes-a-letter/" target="_blank_">publish a full-page ad in the Washington Post</a> telling Congress and the president &quot;It&#39;s Time to Legalize Drugs.&quot;</p><p>On Friday, Winslow traveled to Houston to sit down for an interview with Dean Becker of the <a href="http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/" target="_blank_">Drug Truth Network</a> for the network&#39;s Cultural Baggage radio program. Here&#39;s the interview:</p><p>DEAN BECKER: Hello, dear listeners, this is Dean Becker and I want to thank you for joining us on this edition of Cultural Baggage. Well folks, I&#39;ve been enjoying this new book, it&#39;s a powerful indictment of this war on drugs, it&#39;s written by the author Don Winslow, the name of the book is <em>The Cartel</em>, and we have him with us today. Mr. Winslow, your book is a powerful indictment of the futility of this drug war, and first off, I just want to thank you, sir.</p><p>DON WINSLOW: Well, thank you, sir, for that kind comment, and I appreciate it.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: Now, with the release of this book you also took out a full-page ad in the Washington Post decrying that futility and calling for the powers that be to take another look at the results of this drug war, and once again, I commend you, sir.</p><p>DON WINSLOW: Well, thank you. You know, I felt it was important to do something like that. At the end of the day, I&#39;m a novelist and I write fiction, and I&#39;m an entertainer, at the same time we&#39;re dealing with obviously serious issues that have had serious consequences on so many people in the United States, but of course particularly in Mexico. And so I just thought that I should try to do something.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: Now, Don, <em>The Cartel</em>, this new book, it&#39;s a follow-up to The Power of the Dog, and I think much of your similar or previous writings, and it continues the story of Agent Keller and a couple of others from that first book, but it&#39;s more, it&#39;s much more, and would you please just kind of give us a summary of your new book, <em>The Cartel</em>.</p><p>DON WINSLOW: Well, yes, thank you. <em>The Cartel</em> as you said is a follow-up to a book I did ten years ago called The Power of the Dog, which follows a DEA agent named Art Keller, who arrives in Mexico in the 70s full of idealism, and is over the years sort of schooled out of that by reality. But, he ends up in a vendetta with a drug lord, if you will, named Adan Barrera. And, so <em>The Cartel</em> continues that story. But, you know, it&#39;s not a book I really wanted to write, Dean. I really fought against writing it for a long time, but as things spiraled out of control in Mexico, you know, far beyond our worst nightmares, really, and I thought, well, I&#39;ll try a in fictional sense, you know, to crime readers, to try to explain what was going on down there.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: Well, a few years back I took a one-day junket into Ciudad Juarez, and the machine gun nests in the city park, cops on every street corner -- I didn&#39;t see the violence myself, but it was palpable, it was, it was, just -- scary, for lack of a better word. Your thoughts, sir.</p><p>DON WINSLOW: Well, you know, the estimates vary of course, but during this era something like 100,000 Mexican people were killed, 22,000 missing. Juarez and Nuevo Laredo, and Tijuana, and the Frontera Chica, and the Texas border -- you know, all became battlegrounds in a multi-fronted war, cartel versus cartel. The military versus the cartels, the military versus the police, certain police forces versus other forces, and of course, you know, many, too many, innocent civilians got caught in the crossfire.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: Now, Don, you state in your acknowledgements that <em>The Cartel</em> draws deeply on real events, and I see many of them, I&#39;ve been following the war in Mexico for several years, and it just seems that, you know, it made it more compelling to be based on a true story, so to speak.</p><p>DON WINSLOW:I&#39;m an historian by training and inclination, and so I usually like to keep my stories pretty, pretty close to the bone. But I think that in a way, novelists can do things that journalists aren&#39;t allowed to. You know, we&#39;re allowed to imagine the inner life of characters, we&#39;re allowed to make up dialogue that perhaps brings out some of these events in a maybe more visceral way to readers who might not, you know, pick up a piece of journalism on this subject. And so, I like that combination between fiction and reality, and as long as I sort of keep their thoughts and their emotions fairly realistic, I think the novel can work well for that.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: Now, Don, back in 2012, with my group <a href="http://www.leap.cc" target="_blank">Law Enforcement Against Prohibition</a>, I rode across the country with Javier Sicilia and about a hundred family members of those butchered in Mexico on the Caravan for Peace, and most of them were women who had these horrible stories that made me cry every night, I&#39;ll be honest with you. And your book includes the stories of some of these women, and the pain and misery they endure as well.</p><p>DON WINSLOW: As you know when you deal with this topic, it&#39;s all too easy to lose your faith in humanity. But, in researching the stories and writing the stories about some of these women, it&#39;s awe-inspiring. You know? There&#39;s no other word for it. The courage and the moral fortitude, and I think in the video I saw of the Caravan, the word grace is used, and I think that that might be absolutely the perfect word to describe these women, who have lost so much and have moved ahead and have moved on and tragically, you know, too often at the cost of their own lives.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: It seems that media everywhere is starting to recognize this futility of the drug war, and is starting to expose it for what it is, and that is hopeless.</p><p>DON WINSLOW: We&#39;ve been doing the same thing for coming on now 45 years, and not only is it not working, it&#39;s made things worse. Drugs are more plentiful, more potent, cheaper than ever, and again, it&#39;s had a hideous effect on American society in terms of the number of people we imprison, in terms of the alienation of our police forces with our inner city communities. I think the militarization of police really began with the war on drugs, and of course, it&#39;s had the worst effect on the people of Central America, particularly Mexico. So, if something after 45 years has not improved a situation, but made things worse, then I think it&#39;s time that we looked at different solutions.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: Indeed.</p><p>DON WINSLOW: And I think that that&#39;s pretty obvious, really.</p><p>[image:2 align:left caption:true]DEAN BECKER: Yes, sir. If you will allow me, I want to read just a paragraph here from your book, this is from Alvarado. He states: &quot;You North Americans are clean because you can be. That has never been a choice for us, either as individuals or a nation. You&#39;re experienced enough to know that we&#39;re not offered a choice of taking the money or not, we&#39;re given the choice of taking the money or dying. We&#39;ve been forced to choose sides, so we choose the best side we can and get on with it. What would you have us do? The country was falling apart, violence getting worse every day. The only way to end the chaos was to pick the most likely winner and help him win, and you North Americans despise us for it. At the same time you send the billions of dollars and the weapons that fuel the violence. You blame us for selling the product that you buy. It&#39;s absurd, John.&quot;</p><p>DON WINSLOW: I don&#39;t know how to respond to my own writing. I think it&#39;s the truth. Couple of thoughts: You know, we&#39;re very good up here at wagging the finger of corruption at Mexico. Is there corruption in Mexico? Of course, and I write a lot about it. I&#39;m not alone in that. But as that passage indicated, what we don&#39;t understand is that police and journalists and average citizens are not offered the choice: take the money or leave it. They&#39;re offered the choice: take the money or we kill you. And very often, or we kill your family.And you know, the so-called Mexican drug war is one of the most tragic misnomers of the last half century. It&#39;s not the Mexican drug problem; it&#39;s the American drug problem. We&#39;re, we&#39;re the buyers, and it&#39;s the simultaneous appetite, American appetite for drugs and prohibition of them that creates the power of the cartels and that shields this violence. And, if I were on the other side of the border looking north, I&#39;d talk about corruption, I would ask what kind of corruption exists in American society that makes you Americans the largest drug market in the world? At a rate of five times your population.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: And the world&#39;s leading jailer.</p><p>DON WINSLOW: The world&#39;s leading jailer. Not only the world&#39;s leading jailer, Dean. In the history of the world we have the largest prison population.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: Kind of tied in with your action to do that full-page ad in the Washington Post, I tried last summer to wake up our nation&#39;s leaders with release of my book. We hand-delivered a copy of my book to the president, his cabinet, every senator, representative, all nine Supreme justices, and we mailed a copy to all fifty governors, to pretty much little avail. And I&#39;m hoping that your book lights a bigger bonfire on their conscience.</p><p>[image:3 align:right caption:true]DON WINSLOW: Well, thank you, I hope so too. You know, I deliberately put that ad in the Washington Post in order to do it in Congress&#39;s home town, hoping that that paper would arrive on their desks with their coffee. I think that ad was two weeks ago or three weeks ago, I don&#39;t remember, it&#39;s been a little bit of a blur, you know, I&#39;m out on a book tour. But, I&#39;ve not heard from a single politician. Who I have heard from? Cops.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: What was their response?</p><p>DON WINSLOW: Agreeing with it.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: Well, that&#39;s good to hear. I mean, it puzzles me that the evidence is so glaring, we can cut down on death, disease, crime, and addiction were to legalize and control it for adults, but no one wants to talk about that. Certainly not at the presidential level.</p><p>DON WINSLOW: Well, you know, I think, Dean, for so many years it&#39;s been the fourth rail of American politics. You know, you start talking about a sane drug policy and your opponent then starts talking about you being soft on crime, and, you know, oh he wants our kids to have access to dope. Which of course they do now, because it&#39;s not working. What I would like is some politician to stand up and talk back with the facts. The numbers are there, the solid data are there. If you want to talk about being soft on crime, I would say that the fact that 60 percent of rapes and 40 percent of murders now go unsolved, because we&#39;re so focused on busting drugs. To me, that&#39;s soft on crime. And I think police want to go back to doing real police work.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: I&#39;m with you, sir. Now, it seems like every week I see another headline about another bust of a quote top narco-trafficker, but the fact is, it&#39;s just a chance for another corn farmer to get down off the tractor and attempt to become a billionaire, isn&#39;t it?</p><p>DON WINSLOW: Listen, it&#39;s never worked. We have tried to attack the drug organization pyramid from the bottom, the street-level kids selling crack on the corner, to the middle, the traffickers coming across the border, to the top, going after these top drug lords. None of these strategies work because the amount of money they can make is so great that there is always someone willing to step into any of those roles. So, you know, there was great celebration when for instance Chapo Guzman was captured. That&#39;s fine, I have no tears for Chapo Guzman, I&#39;m glad he&#39;s in prison, I have no tears for any of these drug lords who&#39;ve been killed by the police. However, it makes no difference. Nothing was disrupted, nothing was even slowed down. The drugs just keep coming. The strategy does not work. And as long as we approach this as a law enforcement problem or god help us a military problem, we&#39;re, the same thing is going to on and on and on.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: You know, a couple of portions of the book touched me deeply. One was about the old farmer, Don Pedro, and his battle for his ranch with the Zetas. That one made me cry, I&#39;m an old man, I&#39;m sorry, and it just made me think of, you know, these bandits, these rapscallions, what they&#39;re up to, the Zetas. Would you talk about that situation?</p><p>DON WINSLOW: Well, you know, that is based on a real incident. It was impossible to resist writing about it, but, you know, I think there are two parts to your question, so let me take the first one first. Back in, you know, 2010, &#39;11, and &#39;12, various cartels were forcing people off their land because either it was strategically located along the border or just because they could. The Zetas that you mentioned were looking for land for training camps and secret bases, and they were all-powerful, or so they thought, and they could just go tell people, get out. In northern Chihuahua, along the Texas border, the Sinaloa Cartel was fighting the Juarez Cartel, and they were literally colonizing the area. They were telling, you know, people in that area, in the Juarez Valley that had been there for generations, to get out, and moving Sinaloans in, almost like colonists, in order to secure that area. Who&#39;s on first now? Without a doubt the Sinaloa Cartel. They&#39;re the dominant cartel in Mexico now. They basically won the war. There&#39;s a sort of an upstart cartel, the new generation Jalisco Cartel, and we&#39;re in a bit of a lull, but that&#39;s about to collapse. You know, over the past month or so violence has drastically increased again in the Tijuana area. So, stay tuned.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: Your book references some of the videos that get circulated by the cartels, showing their commitment to outdoing each other in the way they torture and kill members of the opposite cartel. I saw one of those that, where one cartel had grabbed the wives and girlfriends of another cartel. They pulled out axes and chainsaws, and built piles of arms...</p><p>DON WINSLOW: That sounds familiar, that video.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: Oh god. And, my Spanish was not good enough to understand all they said, but it was a strong message, for sure.</p><p>DON WINSLOW: You know, lately we&#39;ve been as a nation very absorbed with ISIS, and those videos, and they took that page out of the cartel playbook. What you&#39;re looking at is basically terrorism in Mexico. And, you know, the cartels are in the territory business, they need to control territory, and to do that, they need to control the population. And they do it through a variety of methods, but one of them is terror. And, and when they put out videos like that, they are really saying to the people, you don&#39;t want this to be you. The Spanish that is being spoken in many of these videos is to get these people to confess their roles in the rival cartel, sometimes to confess their crimes because these videos are also a means of propaganda, and a means of the cartels justifying, or attempting to justify, the horrors that they commit, in a very similar way to the ISIS videos. The really sad aspect, or more tragic aspect of these videos, is that they&#39;re used as tools of recruitment. Particularly young people, both men and women, see these videos, and see them as demonstrations of power. And I think that there are few things more seductive to people who see themselves as powerless than to see power, and just as the ISIS sadistic videos have been great recruiting tools for ISIS, the videos that you alluded to have been recruiting tools to the cartels.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: The hundred thousand dead, approximately, the 20,000 missing, the tens of thousands of children without parents -- it&#39;s just so enormous, and yet somehow it&#39;s ignored. That doesn&#39;t count in the US&#39;s drug war equation.</p><p>DON WINSLOW: The modern day Mexican drug war, the contemporary period that we&#39;re looking at, coincides almost exactly with the post-911 era. And I think that the United States has been, and it&#39;s understandable, Dean, because of 911, because of the lives lost, because we&#39;ve had people in Iraq and Afghanistan, and our soldiers dying and wounded, we have been obsessed with, and most of our attention has gone to the Middle East. That, that&#39;s understandable, I think. I&#39;m not saying it&#39;s right. I&#39;m not saying it&#39;s good, but I think that, that people can only absorb so much violence and sorrow and tragedy. I think though that the other part of the equation is that, that we don&#39;t want to look at it down there. It&#39;s something we don&#39;t want to see because I think on some level we are aware of the role that we play in it, and our own responsibility for it, and I think that that can be a hard mirror to look into. And sometimes people, and particularly our politicians, frankly, would rather look away.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: It kind of draws a parallel with the cops busting somebody and accusing them of being the cause of the problem here in the US -- if they weren&#39;t buying drugs then these other situations would not occur. But the same could be said about the US and as you stated earlier, our addiction to these drugs coming through Mexico.</p><p>DON WINSLOW: I think we are addicted to the drugs. Now obviously, we have a population in the United States that is literally addicted to drugs. The percentage of that never changes very much over the years. There are some spikes with certain drugs at certain times, but the level of drug addicts remains about the same, that&#39;s sort of one topic. The other topic is recreational drug users, and they need to look at their responsibility. I can&#39;t understand for instance why a person who would be so concerned about buying free trade coffee or fair trade coffee would then think nothing of buying marijuana that has blood all over it. You know? I don&#39;t understand people who go out and protest against big business but then will come back and buy a product that&#39;s been shipped to them by a cartel that tortures and slaughters and rapes. This makes no kind of moral sense to me. So, in my perfect world, all drugs would be legal and no one would use them. But certainly, in the time until the United States straightens out its drug laws, until we&#39;ve stopped forcing the hands of these sadistic criminals, I&#39;d love to see a movement where particularly young people in America boycotted these drugs, the way they boycott other products.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: The book was a follow-up to Power of the Dog, and it seems that there may be, as you mentioned earlier, a need for another book in this series, if Los Pinos and the White House continue to believe this drug war to be necessary.</p><p>DON WINSLOW: It&#39;s my fondest hope and prayer that there&#39;s no need for a third book. I would love it if Los Pinos and the White House took me out of this business. I don&#39;t have plans to write another drug book, you know, next or for a few years, but then I&#39;m really hoping at that point when I look around this landscape that we have come to some sort of sanity, and some sort of wiser policy, and that there&#39;s no need for a third book.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: Well, me too. I&#39;m keeping my fingers crossed and deep prayer in that regard. Well, Don, here&#39;s hoping we can continue this discussion again soon and that just maybe, the politicians will read your book and pull their heads out soon. Is there a website, some closing thoughts you&#39;d like to share with the listeners, Mr. Don Winslow?</p><p>DON WINSLOW: I have a website, <a href="http://www.DonWinslow.com" target="_blank">DonWinslow.com</a>, and, you know, always happy to hear from anybody. I have been very encouraged over the past two weeks by the number of police officers and DEA people that have contacted me. And I think there is a little momentum right now. You know, yesterday the United Methodist Church came out calling for war, an end to the war on drugs, addressing Congress. So I think that there might be a little bit of a groundswell, and I&#39;m going to choose to go with that optimism.</p><p>DEAN BECKER: Once again, I want to thank Don Winslow, author of <em>The Cartel</em>.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/19/interview_don_winslow_the_cartel#commentsBorderCongressDEAGlamorization of CriminalityGovernment CorruptionInterdictionMexican Drug WarNews FeaturePolice/Suspect AltercationsMon, 20 Jul 2015 16:02:42 +0000deanbecker31560 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Obama Visits Prison, OH Gov Okays Naloxone, Ohio Init Could Come Up Short,More (7/17/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/17/chronicle_am_obama_prison_visit
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<p>A surprising analysis suggests the ResponsibleOhio legalization initiative could come up short on signatures, Guam releases medical marijuana program draft regulations, Obama visits a federal prison, Ohio&#39;s governor okays naloxone over-the-counter, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2015/07/16/marijuana-legalization-ballot-efforts-may-be-short-by-nearly-48000-valid-signatures.html" target="_blank">Ohio Legalization Initiative Could Fall Short on Signatures, But Will Fight If It Does</a>. Columbus&#39;s 10 TV is reporting that its analysis of signatures gathered to put the <a href="http://www.responsibleohio.org/" target="_blank">ResponsibleOhio</a> legalization initiative on the November ballot shows the initiative coming up 48,000 valid voter signatures short. That would be truly surprising, given that the group turned in 700,000 raw signatures and it only needs 305,000 valid ones to qualify. The group told 10 TV, however, that it could still collect signatures during a 10-day review period and that it could file legal challenges on signatures that were invalidated.</p><p><a href="http://michiganradio.org/post/lawmaker-introduce-pot-legalization-bill-similar-ballot-initiative" target="_blank">Michigan Democrat Will Introduce Legalization Bill</a>. State Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) said today that support for legalization has reached critical mass and that he will introduce a bill to do just that. &quot;You&#39;ve got people on the left who are saying that people should not be having their lives ruined over something like marijuana and you&#39;ve got people on the right who are saying marijuana prohibition and the war on drugs is the granddaddy of all big government programs,&quot; said Irwin. &quot;It makes sense from a public safety and public health perspective to bring that activity into the regulated space where we can make sure that consumers are protected. And we can also take the hundreds of millions of dollars we&#39;re spending on prosecuting marijuana offenders and direct those resources towards real criminals with real victims.&quot; There are also at least three groups working on legalization initiatives.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2015/07/16/guam-medical-marijuana-draft-rules/30276539" target="_blank">Guam Releases Medical Marijuana Draft Regulations</a>. The Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services has released draft rules for the island territory&#39;s medical marijuana program. Guamanians voted to allow medical marijuana in last November&#39;s elections. The rules must be approved by the legislature. Click on the link to read the draft rules.</p><p><strong>Harm Reduction</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/govgov_55a92888e4b0c5f0322d2853" target="_blank">Ohio Governor Signs Emergency Bill to Increase Opiate Overdose Reversal Drug Access</a>. Gov. John Kasich (R) Thursday signed into law a bill that will make the overdose reversal drug naloxone available over the counter. This is the third year in a row Kasich has signed a naloxone bill, each one more expansive than the one before. Two years ago, he authorized a pilot program for naloxone and last year, he signed a bill allowing friends and family members of drug users to carry the drug.</p><p><strong>New Synthetic Drugs</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.indyweek.com/news/archives/2015/07/16/general-assembly-passes-bill-making-n-bomb-illegal" target="_blank">North Carolina Bill to Ban N-Bomb Heads to Governor&#39;s Desk</a>. The General Assembly Thursday approved <a href="http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2015&amp;BillID=H341" target="_blank">House Bill 341</a>, which would classify the synthetic psychedelic NBOMe, commonly known as N-Bomb, as an illegal controlled substance. The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Pat McCroy (R). If he signs it, N-Bomb and its derivatives will become Schedule I controlled substances.</p><p><strong>Criminal Justice</strong></p><p><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/07/16/at-federal-lockup-obama-calls-for-limits-on-prison-for-non-violent-drug-offenders/" target="_blank">Obama Visits Federal Prison, Calls for Lesser Sentences for Drug Crimes</a>. Wrapping up a week heavy on criminal justice, President Obama Thursday visited the federal prison in El Reno, Oklahoma, becoming the first sitting president to visit a federal prison. While there, he met with six drug prisoners and called for lesser sentences for drug offenses.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/17/chronicle_am_obama_prison_visit#comments2016Executive BranchMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefOverdose PreventionOverdosesSentencingState & Local Executive BranchesState & Local LegislaturesSynthetic StimulantsFri, 17 Jul 2015 22:06:24 +0000psmith31558 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgObama Calls for Greater Criminal Justice Reforms [FEATURE]http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/15/obama_calls_for_justice_reform
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<p>In a <a href="http://www.c-span.org/video/?327099-4/president-obama-remarks-naacp" target="_blank">45-minute speech at the NAACP convention in Philadelphia Tuesday</a>, President Obama laid out a far-reaching roadmap for criminal justice reform, including calls for reducing or eliminating mandatory minimum sentences, reviewing the use of solitary confinement, and eliminating barriers to reentry for former prisoners.</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]The president has touched on many of the themes before, but the Philadelphia speech was the first time he tied them all together into a plan for action. The speech likely signals upcoming executive actions on criminal justice reform.</p><p>Obama recited the by now well-known statistics demonstrating American&#39;s over-reliance on incarceration: America is home to 5% of world&#39;s population but 25% of world&#39;s prisons; that African Americans and Latinos make up 30% of the U.S. population, but 60% of American inmates; that one out of three black men are now likely to serve time in prison, among others.</p><p>While the United States has 2 &frac12; million people behind bars, only about 200,000 of them are in the federal prison system that Obama has the ability to impact. Of those, 98,000 are doing time for drug offenses.</p><p>He used those stats to bolster his case for broad criminal justice reform, calling the criminal justice system an &quot;injustice system.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Any system that allows us to turn a blind-eye to hopelessness and despair, that&#39;s not a justice system, that&#39;s an injustice system,&quot; Obama said. &quot;Justice is not only the absence of oppression, it&#39;s the presence of opportunity.&quot;</p><p>Washington has seen limited criminal justice reform during the Obama years, particularly with legislation partially undoing the crack-powder cocaine sentencing disparity and later actions making it retroactive. Then-Attorney General Eric Holder signaled to federal prosecutors that they should move away from mandatory minimums, and the Obama administration has asked federal drug prisoners to seek sentence commutations.</p><p>At the convention, Obama also touted initiatives including the Department of Justice&#39;s Smart on Crime program aimed at reducing the impact of our harsh laws, My Brother&#39;s Keeper, and the Clemency Project.</p><p>The president commuted the sentences of 46 drug offenders on Monday, and applications from some 30,000 more are in the pipeline.</p><p>Obama said the time was ripe for further reforms, citing bipartisan interest in the issue, and even mentioning the Koch Brothers and Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul as allies in the fight. They made &quot;strange bedfellows&quot; with Democrats and the NAACP, he said, but that&#39;s what sometimes happens in politics.</p><p>&quot;We&#39;re at a moment when some good people in both parties, Republicans and Democrats, and folks all across the country are coming together around ideas to make the system work smarter. To make it work better and I&#39;m determined to do my part, wherever I can,&quot; Obama said a day earlier in announcing the sentence commutations.</p><p>On Thursday, Obama will continue his criminal justice-themed week with a visit to the federal prison in El Reno, Oklahoma -- the first visit ever to a federal prison by a sitting president. He is expected to meet with inmates there, and he told the NAACP crowd he met with four former prisoners -- one white, one Latino, and two black -- before taking to the podium there.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/15/obama_calls_for_justice_reform#commentsClemency and PardonExecutive BranchMandatory MinimumsNews FeatureReentry/RehabilitationWed, 15 Jul 2015 22:53:00 +0000psmith31555 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgMedical Marijuana Updatehttp://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/15/medical_marijuana_update
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<p>Medical marijuana continues to be an issue in Congress, medical marijuana programs in Illinois and New York move ahead, a federal appeals court decision hits dispensaries in the pocketbook, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:left]<strong>National</strong></p><p>Last Wednesday, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/house-republicans-say-no-to-allowing-federal-studies-of-medical-marijuana/2015/07/09/01029cda-262d-11e5-b77f-eb13a215f593_story.html" target="_blank_">House Republicans blocked a bid for more marijuana studies</a>. Republicans in the House killed an amendment to an appropriations bill that would have reclassified marijuana so laboratories could conduct &quot;credible research on its safety and efficacy as a medical treatment.&quot; The amendment would have encouraged the DEA and the National Institutes of Health to work together to allow studies of the risks and benefits of using marijuana to treat various diseases and conditions. The amendment, sponsored by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Sam Farr (D-CA), as well as marijuana legalization foe Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), would have created a new designation in the federal drug scheduling scheme, Schedule 1R, for research.</p><p>On Monday, <a href="http://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-ask-federal-agencies-about-efforts-to-facilitate-medical-marijuana-research" target="_blank_">US senators sought information from federal agencies on progress on medical marijuana research</a>. A group of eight United States senators Monday sent <a href="http://www.warren.senate.gov/files/documents/HHS_ONDCP_DEA_Marijuana_letter.pdf" target="_blank_">a letter</a> to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) requesting information about the agencies&#39; efforts to facilitate and coordinate scientific research on medical marijuana. The letter was signed by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).</p><p><strong>California</strong></p><p>Last Thursday, <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Marijuana-dispensaries-can-t-deduct-business-6376047.php" target="_blank_">a federal appeals court ruled that dispensaries can&#39;t deduct business expenses</a>. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that they can&#39;t take the deductions because their product is prohibited under federal law. The ruling came in the case of the embattled Vapor Room dispensary, whose owner had claimed $650,000 in business expenses in 2004 and 2005. The IRS balked, and now the appeals court has sided with the IRS.</p><p><strong>Florida</strong></p><p>On Monday, <a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-charlottes-web-license-applicants-20150709-story.html" target="_blank_">state officials said the CBD cannabis oil grow program had 24 applicants</a>. Some 24 commercial plant nurseries have applied for state licenses to grow marijuana and produce CBD cannabis oil to treat epilepsy and other medical conditions. The state is divided into five regions, and only one license will be awarded for each region.</p><p><strong>Illinois</strong></p><p>On Monday, <a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/07/prweb12843662.htm" target="_blank_">the first cultivation center in the state began medical marijuana production</a>. The Ataraxia cultivation center announced that it is beginning to grow medical marijuana. The group says it thinks it is the first in the state to do so. The grow is located in Albion.</p><p><strong>New York</strong></p><p>Last Friday, <a href="http://wamc.org/post/43-companies-seeking-new-york-medical-marijuana-licenses" target="_blank_">the Department of Health said the medical marijuana distribution program had 43 applicants</a>. Nearly four dozen companies have applied for licenses to grow and distribute medical marijuana under a program approved by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). The state Department of Health is expected to decide which applicants will get licenses sometime within the next couple of weeks.</p><p><em>[For extensive information about the medical marijuana debate, presented in a neutral format, visit <a href="http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/" target="_blank">MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org</a>.]</em></p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/15/medical_marijuana_update#commentsCongressMarijuana IndustryMedical MarijuanaNews BriefState & Local Executive BranchesWed, 15 Jul 2015 21:43:24 +0000psmith31553 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Obama Calls for More Criminal Justice Reforms, Israeli Knesset Pot Brouhaha, More (7/15/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/15/chronicle_am_obama_calls_more_cr
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<p>The president gives a major speech calling for greater criminal justice reform, there&#39;s a revised version of a California marijuana legalization initiative, North Carolina is moving to ban new synthetic drugs, the Israeli Knesset squabbles over marijuana policy, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.oag.ca.gov/system/files/initiatives/pdfs/15-0039%20%28Marijuana%20V2%29.pdf" target="_blank">Second Version of California Marijuana Control, Legalization, and Revenue Act Filed</a>. The folks behind the initiative have revised and updated it. This is one of four legalization initiatives already filed. Everyone is still waiting for one from the <a href="http://www.reformca.com/" target="_blank">California Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform</a> to drop. To read the latest version of the Marijuana Control, Legalization, and Revenue Act, click on the title link.</p><p><strong>New Synthetic Drugs</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.wral.com/lawmakers-take-aim-at-designer-drugs/14772671" target="_blank">North Carolina Set to Ban N-Bomb, Other New Synthetics</a>. A bill that would make the synthetic drug NBOMe (N-Bomb) and other designer drugs illegal is one vote away from passage. <a href="http://ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2015&amp;BillID=H341" target="_blank">House Bill 341</a> would add 12 known variants of NBOMe to the state&#39;s Schedule I list. It would also add methoxetamine, a synthetic form of ketamine often marketed as Special K, and acetyl fentanyl, a synthetic form of the opioid fentanyl. Variants of methylphenidate (Ritalin) would also be banned, and some recent synthetic cannabinoids, too. The bill has passed the House and now awaits a final Senate floor vote.</p><p><strong>Criminal Justice</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/obama-push-greater-criminal-justice-reform-n392051" target="_blank">President Obama Calls for Greater Criminal Justice Reform</a>. In a speech before the NAACP Tuesday, Obama called for reducing or eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug crimes, reconsidering solitary confinement, increased reentry programs for people leaving prison, and an end to asking about criminal histories on job applications. He also called on Congress to pass sentencing reform legislation by year&#39;s end. Click on the link for much more.</p><p><strong>Drug Testing</strong></p><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/wisconsin-asks-federal-court-clarify-food-stamp-drug-015620463--sector.html" target="_blank">Wisconsin Challenges Federal Ban on Food Stamp Drug Testing</a>. The state attorney general Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the federal government seeking to clarify whether federal law would allow the state to drug test food stamp recipients. Gov. Scott Walker (R) earlier this week signed a measure to do so into law. The US Agriculture Department says that drug testing food stamp recipients is not allowed, but Attorney General Brad Schimel (R) said that policy is contrary to federal law that allows states to test them.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/MKs-boycott-meeting-on-cannabis-legalization-408959" target="_blank">Israeli Knesset Members Boycott Marijuana Policy Meeting to Protest &quot;Pro-Legalization&quot; Views of Panel Head</a>. Most members of the Knesset Committee on Drug and Alcohol Abuse failed to show up for a committee meeting on &quot;progressive cannabis policies&quot; Tuesday, saying they were protesting the pro-legalization stance of committee chair Tamar Zandberg of the Meretz Party. Conservative MPs accused Zandberg of &quot;turning [the committee] into the caucus to promote cannabis... instead of the goal for which the committee was formed: to fight drug abuse and drug-related crimes, rehabilitation of users, and public campaigns to prevent drug and alcohol abuse in general and especially among youth.&quot; Zandberg was unbowed. &quot;I support legalization and I have never hidden it, and I plan to lead the committee with up-to-date and relevant discussions based on data,&quot; she added. &quot;The committee will seriously deal with a long line of topics, including medical marijuana, dealing with alcoholism, and trying to change the policy of criminalizing cannabis.&quot; She accused the protesting members of being a &quot;nature reserve of moralizers.&quot;</p><p><em>(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org&#39;s lobbying arm, Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)</em></p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/15/chronicle_am_obama_calls_more_cr#commentsDrug TestingFederal GovernmentMandatory MinimumsMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationNew Synthetic DrugsNews BriefPopularization of Worse DrugsReentry/RehabilitationState & Local Executive BranchesState & Local LegislaturesWelfareWed, 15 Jul 2015 21:05:31 +0000psmith31552 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Using RICO Against Legal Cannabusinesses, Last Minute Move Kills WA Social Clubs, More (7/14/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/14/chronicle_am_using_rico_against
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<p>A novel legal tactic by marijuana foes rears its ugly head, last minute maneuvering scuttled pot social clubs in Washington state, Bernie Sanders wants cheaper Naloxone prices, Illinois&#39; first medical marijuana grow gets underway, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/marijuana-opponents-racketeering-law-fight-industry-32421076" target="_blank">Marijuana Foes Using RICO To Go After Legal Marijuana Businesses</a>. A Washington-based &quot;anti-crime&quot; group, the Safe Streets Alliance, is using a federal law crafted to fight organized crime to go after marijuana businesses in Colorado. It recently forced one shop out of business after suing not just it but a laundry list of businesses associated with it, and has another lawsuit pending in southern Colorado. None of the lawsuits has been decided, but the mere filing was enough to get rid of one business.</p><p><a href="http://www.kplu.org/post/private-cannabis-clubs-are-now-illegal-washington" target="_blank">No Marijuana Social Clubs for Washington State</a>. In a last minute amendment to <a href="http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2015-16/Pdf/Bills/House%20Passed%20Legislature/2136-S2.PL.pdf" target="_blank">House Bill 2136</a>, the recently passed legislation tweaking the laws around the state&#39;s marijuana industry, the legislature outlawed the establishment of marijuana social clubs. Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes is unhappy: &quot;It makes it a felony to actually operate a business like this. Frankly, it&#39;s a stupid provision and I think that it&#39;s overkill,&quot; Holmes said. Holmes had been working on a model social club ordinance for Seattle. He said he was irked that the amendment was added and approved without notice.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-ask-federal-agencies-about-efforts-to-facilitate-medical-marijuana-research" target="_blank">US Senators Seek Info from Feds on Progress on Medical Marijuana Research</a>. A group of eight United States senators Monday sent <a href="http://www.warren.senate.gov/files/documents/HHS_ONDCP_DEA_Marijuana_letter.pdf" target="_blank">a letter</a> to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) requesting information about the agencies&#39; efforts to facilitate and coordinate scientific research on medical marijuana. The letter was signed by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).</p><p><a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/07/prweb12843662.htm" target="_blank">First Illinois Cultivation Center Begins Medical Marijuana Production</a>. The Ataraxia cultivation center announced Monday that it is beginning to grow medical marijuana. The group says it thinks it is the first in the state to do so. The grow is located in Albion.</p><p><strong>Harm Reduction</strong></p><p><a href="http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/247659-sanders-pushes-for-lower-price-for-heroin-overdose-drug" target="_blank">Bernie Sanders Calls on State Governments to Lower Price of Opiate Overdose Reversal Drug</a>. The Vermont senator and Democratic presidential contender says other states should emulate New York, which negotiated a price cut with the manufacturer of the opiate overdose reversal drug naloxone. &quot;The opioid abuse epidemic is a public health emergency that must be addressed, and no company should jeopardize the progress many states have made in tackling this emergency by overcharging for a critically important drug like naloxone,&quot; Sanders joined Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) in saying in a letter to the National Governors Association and National Association of Attorneys General.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-13/with-marijuana-prices-down-70-in-colombia-farmers-are-bailing" target="_blank">Colombia Marijuana Price Plunge Sees Farmers Switching to Coca, Avocados</a>. Prices for Colombian marijuana have dropped by two-thirds in the past year, largely because of oversupply due to a bumper crop last year. That has farmers getting out of the pot business and looking for alternatives, including coca and avocados. Marijuana was a decent cash crop for impoverished farmers; now, they&#39;ll have to try something else.</p><p><em>(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org&#39;s lobbying arm, Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)</em></p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jul/14/chronicle_am_using_rico_against#commentsAndean Drug WarCongressMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana IndustryMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefOverdose PreventionOverdosesState & Local LegislaturesTue, 14 Jul 2015 21:42:47 +0000psmith31551 at http://stopthedrugwar.org